In the dim underground laboratory, Danzo's secret letter was pinched between pale fingers, dangling over the candle flame like a withered leaf.
"Oh? An Orochimaru from another world?"
The letter burned to ash, fluttering down to the floor.
Original World Orochimaru sat on a stone chair. He slipped out his tongue and licked his lips, golden snake eyes reflecting the dancing flames.
"Another me has shown up in Konoha?"
He tilted his head, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat like a snake rubbing its scales together.
He had long since stopped caring about fame, but knowledge—the knowledge inside another version of himself—made his back itch with anticipation.
"Danzo's letter has some interesting details. He can even use Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu?"
He rose to his feet, long black hair swaying gently down to his waist in the chilly air.
"Looks like I'll have to return to Konoha and see what tricks that impostor is hiding."
A faint hiss echoed from underground. The venomous snake that had lain in wait for years bared its fangs in the darkness.
Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it? Stop knocking."
Lin Zi rolled over and buried his face in the pillow.
Sleeping beside Minato's house for a night had been nice. At least it was quiet, and this bed was much more comfortable than the stone he'd spent the last few days lying on.
Knock, knock, knock.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Grumbling, he climbed out of bed. His black ponytail stuck up in every direction as he opened the door, squinting against the blinding sunlight.
Tsunade stood outside with her arms crossed, looking thoroughly impatient after what seemed like a long wait.
"Time to get up, Orochimaru." She lifted a foot to stride into the house. "We're going to check on Kushina today."
"You're a medical ninja. Why do you have to drag me along?"
Lin Zi sidestepped to block her and yawned.
"Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu has already done all it can. There's nothing left for me to do."
"Enough with the excuses."
Tsunade grabbed him by the collar and dragged him outside.
"If the Nine-Tails' malice inside Kushina flares up, how am I supposed to treat her without you? Come on!"
Tsunade pulled him along, and he stumbled after her, still muttering under his breath.
"Tsunade... don't be so rough..."
When they reached Minato's house, Tsunade kicked the door open.
"Kushina! We're here!"
Inside, Kushina was propped up in bed. She looked better than yesterday, with a little color in her cheeks.
Minato sat at her bedside, holding a bowl of hot porridge. His spoon was suspended in midair, on its way to her lips.
The instant the door flew open, they both froze.
Kushina's face turned scarlet. She shrank back, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Lady Tsunade... Lord Orochimaru... sorry..."
"What's there to be embarrassed about? You're eating."
Lin Zi waved a hand and walked straight into the room. He dragged a chair over from the corner, sat down, and stretched out his legs.
"Go ahead and eat. We'll wait."
Tsunade plopped down as well, not caring in the slightest that Minato and Kushina were watching. She even plucked a peanut from the table and tossed it into her mouth.
Kushina glanced at Tsunade, then at Lin Zi. Too embarrassed to let Minato feed her anymore, she reached out for the bowl and ate quietly, one spoonful at a time, with her head bowed.
Minato was left holding an empty spoon in midair, his expression visibly crumbling.
"All right, you. That's enough."
Unable to watch any longer, Tsunade slapped Minato on the back, making him lurch forward.
"Go to work. We'll take care of Kushina. A young woman can't even eat with a grown man looming over her like that."
Minato came back to himself. He looked at Kushina's red ears, then at Tsunade and Lin Zi, and sighed helplessly.
He stood up, threw on his Hokage Cloak, and tied the sash in a flash.
"I'll leave her in your hands, then."
He bowed to Tsunade, then turned to Lin Zi with gratitude in his eyes.
"Thank you for your efforts, Lord Orochimaru."
Before the words had even left his mouth, he formed Hand Seals. His body became a streak of golden light and vanished with a whoosh.
Lin Zi watched the spot where the golden light had disappeared and smacked his lips.
"No matter how many times I see it, Flying Thunder God still looks so convenient."
"Right?"
Tsunade nodded and leaned back.
"If I could learn it, I wouldn't have to walk to Tanzaku Town next time."
"Tsunade, you..."
The two sat in the room, listening to Kushina sip her porridge. For once, the atmosphere settled into a rare quiet.
After Kushina finished her porridge, Tsunade sat beside the bed and placed her right palm above Kushina's lower abdomen. Pale green healing chakra seeped into her like a stream.
She closed her eyes, her brow creasing slightly at first. A few seconds later, it relaxed.
"Whew."
Tsunade withdrew her hand and shook out her wrist, letting out a relieved sigh.
"The Uzumaki Clan's vitality really is something. You're recovering so quickly. At this rate, in just a few days, Jiraiya and Minato can help you reorganize your Sealing Jutsu."
Kushina's fingers, which had been clutching the blanket, relaxed. Her pale face brightened.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
She looked down at her lower abdomen and gently rested a hand on it, her voice softening.
"I could feel it myself, actually... but hearing Lady Tsunade confirm it makes me feel much more at ease."
"Tsunade's usually right about these things."
A lazy voice drifted over from the corner. Lin Zi had been leaning against the windowsill, staring into space, but now he leaned forward, casting a glance their way with his golden, slit-pupil eyes.
"Just stick with the treatment, get plenty of rest, and don't worry about things."
Kushina looked up at the pale figure standing in the sunlight, gratitude shining in her smile.
"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru. Thank you, Lady Tsunade. I... really can't thank you enough."
"All right, enough with the mushy stuff."
Tsunade waved a hand, stood up, and brushed the dust from her knees.
"That's it for today. I'll come back tomorrow to make sure everything's holding."
Lin Zi said nothing more. He straightened up, his black ponytail swishing behind him, and pushed open the door.
Light from the hallway spilled in, cutting a sharp line between light and shadow across his face.
"I'm off, then. You two carry on."
Tsunade and Kushina both nodded, watching him disappear down the hallway.
"I haven't had a proper look around Konoha yet. Now I finally have a chance to explore on my own."
Lin Zi strolled along the stone-paved road with his hands in his pockets, his black ponytail swaying behind him.
Whenever villagers and ninja caught sight of his deathly pale face, they scattered to either side. One woman with a child in her arms clapped a hand over the child's mouth and dragged them into an alley.
Lin Zi glanced at the fleeing figures and smacked his lips.
"Am I really that scary?"
He couldn't be bothered to dwell on it and kept wandering.
After turning down two streets and passing through a stretch of ruins still under reconstruction, he found the road suddenly sloping uphill. The smell of dust in the air faded, replaced by the damp scent of grass and earth.
He looked up and saw a few words carved into a wooden sign beside the road.
Hero Cemetery.
"Well, would you look at that. I ended up here."
Lin Zi paused, his snake-like eyes narrowing slightly.
He had planned to turn around and leave, but out of the corner of his eye he spotted a white-haired kid deeper in the cemetery. The slender figure had his back to Lin Zi, silver hair sticking up in all directions in the wind.
That was Hatake Kakashi.
Lin Zi tilted his head, a glint of amusement in his golden, slit-pupil eyes.
He knew why Kakashi would be here, but he still approached with the intention of teasing him.
He lightened his steps and glided along the cemetery's blue-stone path like a slithering snake. His soles brushed over fallen leaves with the faintest rustle.
Kakashi stood before a gravestone, clutching a bundle of white wild chrysanthemums. The wind stirred the petals gently.
He kept his head lowered, his one visible, fish-like eye half-lidded. He was as still and silent as a stone.
"Well, look who it is, Hatake kid."
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